Your iPhone is turning off by itself and you’re not sure why. All of a sudden, your iPhone just shuts down without giving you any warning. In this article, I’ll explain why your iPhone turns off by itself and show you how to fix this problem for good!
Hard Reset Your iPhone
One of the most common reasons why your iPhone keeps shutting off is because it’s stuck in a restart loop, constantly shutting off, turning back on, shutting off again, and so on. By performing a hard reset, we may be able to break your iPhone out of that loop.
How To Hard Reset Your iPhone
| Phone | How To Hard Reset |
| iPhone 6S, SE, and older models | Press and hold the power button and the Home button together until the Apple logo appears on the screen, and then let go. |
| iPhone 7 and 7 Plus | Press and hold the power button and the volume down button together until the Apple logo appears on the screen, and then let go. |
| iPhone 8 & Newer | There are three steps: 1. Quickly press and release the volume up button. 2. Quickly press and release the volume down button. 3. Press and hold the power button (called the "side button" on iPhones with Face ID) until the Apple logo appears on the display, and then let go. |
Apple tech tip: The #1 mistake people make while trying to hard reset their iPhone is that they don’t hold the buttons down for long enough. On iPhone 8 or newer, however, make sure you are pressing the first two buttons very quickly and holding the power button down for a long time. Sometimes the process can take 20 seconds or more!
If your iPhone is still shutting itself down, don’t worry! move on to the next step.
Does The Battery Need To Be Recalibrated?
Does your iPhone keep shutting off even when it says it has battery life remaining? It’s possible that your iPhone’s battery percentage indicator has become inaccurate and unreliable!
A lot of the time, this is the result of a software problem, not a faulty battery! I recommend fully charging your iPhone and letting it fully discharge to fix the problem.
Update Your iPhone To The Latest iOS
Apple frequently releases new versions of iOS, the iPhone operating system, to fix troublesome software issues and introduce new features. A new software update could solve a potential software problem that’s making your iPhone shut down unexpectedly.
Check for a iOS update by opening Settings and tapping General -> Software Update. Tap Download and Install if a new software update is available!
DFU Restore Your iPhone
Thereās still a chance that a software issue is the reason why your iPhone turns off randomly. Our last-ditch effort to fix a potential software problem is the DFU restore, the deepest type of restore that can be done on an iPhone.
The restore is done differently, depending on which iPhone you have. First, grab your phone, a charging cable, and a computer with iTunes (Macs running MacOS Catalina 10.15 or later will use Finder instead of iTunes).
iPhones With Face ID, iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd Generation), iPhone 8, And 8 Plus
- Make sure your iPhone is connected to your computer via the charging cable.
- On the left side of your iPhone, quickly press and release the volume up button.
- Quickly press and release the volume down button right below it.
- Press and hold down the side button until the screen is completely black.
- Once the screen is black, press the volume down button while continuing to hold the Side button for five seconds**.
- Let go of the side button while still holding onto the volume down button until iTunes or Finder detects your iPhone.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to restore your iPhone.
iPhone 7 And 7 Plus
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using a charging cable.
- Simultaneously hold down the power and volume down buttons for eight seconds.
- Release the power button, while continuing to hold onto the volume down button.
- Let go when iTunes or Finder detects your iPhone.
- Restore your iPhone by following the on-screen prompts.
Older iPhones
- Plug your iPhone into your computer using a charging cable.
- Simultaneously hold down both the power buttonand the Home button for eight seconds.
- Release the power button while continuing to press down on the Home button.
- Let go when iTunes or Finder detects your iPhone.
- Follow the prompts to restore your iPhone.
Repair your iPhone
If your iPhone is still shutting down by itself after you’ve completed a DFU restore, it’s time to get it repaired. Head to your local Apple Store, especially if your iPhone is covered by an AppleCare+ protection plan.
Make sure to make a genius bar appointment before you go into your local Apple Store! Without an appointment, you may have to spend a lot of time standing around and waiting for an Apple tech to become available.
Wrapping it up
You’ve fixed your iPhone and it’s no longer shutting down on it’s own. I hope you’ll share this article on social media to teach your friends and family what to do if their iPhone keeps shutting off by itself! Feel free to leave any other comments or questions you have down below — I’ll answer them as quickly as I can!
